As Orlando prepares to vote on scooters, Lime readies to shift away from bikes.

Orlando officials have tweaked some of the city’s proposed restrictions for motorized scooters, which are expected to appear on streets by early 2020.

And as the City Council prepares to vote on the ordinance for the first time Monday, Lime, the city’s most popular bike-sharing vendor, confirmed if it’s approved to operate scooters the company plans to remove its 500 bicycles, which have averaged about 35,000 rides per month.

“If selected for a permit, we look forward to a smooth transition to scooters by the end of the year,” said Vivian Myrtetus, a lobbyist for Lime, through a spokesman. “Lime users across the world have demonstrated their preference for scooters and given our experience in other Florida cities, we anticipate the same will be true in Orlando.”

It’s been about seven weeks since a draft of the ordinance was sent to scooter operators, who have been eager for permission to operate in busy Orlando. Now the proposed pilot program is ready to come before the council and could be enacted after a second vote in December. Then companies would be able to apply for a permit immediately after a vote to launch a fleet of at least 200 scooters, with a cap of 400.

Scooters are popular in metro areas around the country. Riders stand on them using a throttle to accelerate, zipping from location to location. Tourists use them for sightseeing.

Feedback from lobbyists at companies such as Lime, Bird, Uber and Hopr led to various changes in the city proposal. Now, it reads that wheels must be at least 9 inches — the draft ordinance said 10 inches — and imposing the fleet size requirements.

The changes also create wiggle room for companies to petition Orlando transportation director Billy Hattaway to lift the proposed speed limit of 10 mph up to 15 mph. That OK isn’t going to come easy, Hattaway said. He said he doesn’t think the lower speeds would be an issue, since he suspects they’ll predominantly be used on sidewalks.

“It’s going to be a behavioral issue on behalf of the rider,” Hattaway said. “Unless they’re dominantly in the street, it’s not likely we increase the speed.”

Industry lobbyists pushed for changes in the city’s fee structure. Hattaway said a 25-cent per-ride fee called for in the ordinance wouldn’t change.

“From our perspective, 25 cents is nothing in the scheme of things,” Hattaway said, noting the money would be used for education and infrastructure.

Scooters are seen as a so-called “last-mile” solution, to help travelers get from transit stations to work or cover short trips. But there are safety risks. A Consumer Reports study found that eight deaths nationwide tied to e-scooter crashes as well as more than 1,500 injuries, while the Sun-Sentinel found 74 injuries and one death in a five-month stretch in Fort Lauderdale.

The scooters will mark a different way for people to get around quickly besides bike sharing. In addition to Lime, Hopr operates a bike-sharing business in Orlando. The average Lime ride in Orlando covers .2 miles and lasts about 7 minutes.

When bike-sharing was first approved last year, Hattaway said there were concerns about the potential for clutter, with bikes discarded randomly, but it didn’t turn out to be a significant problem.

“I think we’ll find the same thing is true with scooters,” he said.

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